Ridgecrest Police Dept. Sgt. Mike Myers touched on several key points about traffic flow and street patrols for some of the events.

RPD will be coordinating the traffic flow for the streets affected by the parade route in conjunction with the volunteer groups, Myers said.

The Nov. 2 parade route will go from south on China Lake Boulevard from Drummond Avenue, turn on to East French Avenue and past LeRoy Jackson Park before finishing at Burroughs High School.

“I will be relying on my volunteers from PACT and CERT to help secure the route,” Myers said.

Additionally, Myers said that RPD officers have been informed it would be a mandatory work day.

“They will be required to work this event,” Myers said. “The chief has made that clear and sent it out a few months ago.”

Myers said that effort would include securing every parking lot entrance along the parade route.

“Once the parade starts, there will be no movement of cars along the parade route,” Myers said. “People will have to sit and wait until the parade ends before they can leave parking lots.”

He added while it might be possible to engineer a crossing between a break in the parade, there was no guarantee that it would occur at every intersection.

Myers said businesses will be notified about the impact by the closures both in the near future and a few weeks before the parade is scheduled. He added that while he understood there would be concern from businesses about potential lost income, the city's 50th anniversary was a big thing.

“This is a once in a life time event that we are doing here,” Myers said.

Myers said that safety remained an important decision in shutting down access to the roads and intersections around the parade route.

“Safety is what I'm concerned about and I am pretty hard-nosed when it comes to letting people on the road,” Myers said. “I've been surprised a few times and it is pretty scary.”

The parade is scheduled for Sat., Nov. 2 from 10 a.m. to noon.

Balsam Street Fair

Myers said there are plans to close down parts of the areas around the Balsam District Fair portion of the 50th Anniversary Celebration.

The street fair, which will include vendors from across the city in addition to music performances, is set up as a come-as-you-please event between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. on Sat., Nov. 2.

Justin O'Neill, the head behind the plan, said that he plans on bringing in rap entertainment to appeal to the city's younger crowd.

Page 2 of 2 - Myers said he saw a safety concern overall, including some concern about some of musical entertainment.

“I will have to say that we would have to have a police presence there, just to keep that particular type of event from getting out of hand,” Myers said. “But the police won't be overwhelming in any way.”

Myers estimated at most three or four officers would be present during the quieter portion of the street festival.

“If we have a lot more turn out of young people, we may call in additional bodies,” Myers said. “All we're looking at is taking precaution.”

Taste of Ridgecrest

With the Taste of Ridgecrest venue at the Kerr McGee Center on Nov. 2, alcohol comes into play, something that Nathan Ahle, Chamber of Commerce CEO said was being handled diligently.

The Commerce-sponsored event goes from 2 to 8 p.m. and includes sampling of beer and wines from the region, along with food from the area. The event, $30 for individuals or $50 for couples, includes eight tickets to be used either for beer, wine or food served at the event.

Ahle said that the Chamber is cementing things with the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control and the Kern County Health Department.